Here, “magnetic object” denotes an object comprising one or more magnetic parts made of a magnetic material. A same magnetic part is generally a single block of magnetic material. A magnetic material is a material which exhibits magnetic properties that can be measured by an apparatus for automatically recognizing magnetic objects.
There are many situations in which it is desirable to be able to automatically recognize an object. For example, this may be useful for modifying the operation of a machine, such as a robot, or for automatically triggering an action according to the recognized object. Moreover, many objects already include magnetic parts. It is also very easy to add a magnetic part, such as, for example, a permanent magnet, to any object.
Prior art is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,994B1 and FR2952450A1.